Moderator’s Articles
What Does Subscription Mean?
By Brian Murray As was pointed out in the last Emphasis article, the main principle behind the question of confessions of faith is the principle of truth. The ARP is a confessional church because we believe God revealed absolute truth in the Bible. The function of a...
Words Matter
As I write this column, the world has just received word that Prince William and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, have been blessed with a little boy. The new prince is now third in the line of succession to the throne upon which his great grandmother, Queen...
Jeff Kingswood’s Moderator’s Challenge
Using his theme for the coming year, Confessing Christ: What Does a Confessing Church Look Like?, Rev. Kingswood recalled the start of his ministry, 12 years ago, with a fledgling congregation at Grace (ARP) Church in Woodstock. “I realized, like a child, we needed to...
Retiring Moderator Steve Suits Reflects on the Past Year
Wearing the gold Moderator’s medallion, and carrying the Moderator’s staff, Dr. Steve Suits approached the podium to address delegates for the last time as Moderator. “Getting to know so many of you during my term as Moderator has given me great joy, encouragement and...
Under Christ’s Lordship – Every Knee Shall Bow, Every Tongue Confess
From the first hours following the fall, until the last moment preceding the last trumpet's sounding, the people of God have anticipated the final victory of God. On that Day, every knee will bow before Jesus Christ. The first promise of the gospel ("The...
Needed: a conversation about Synod
Over the past several months, I have frequently been asked to say more about my comments to Synod last year, regarding a Confessional Synod. I have continued to think about this and still have not come to any conclusions as far as particular recommendations. My...
Synod’s Role in Edifying the People of God
Continuing to think about the role of Synod, I want to look again at how it can contribute to the edification of the Church as the Confession directs. In previous issues, we saw that the Synod can contribute to the edification of the Church by determining...
The Lordship of Christ and Prayer
The Lordship of Christ is the central assertion of the New Testament. There is coming a day when every tongue will confess that “Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians 2:11). Jesus is Yahweh, the only God there is; though he is not the only one who is Yahweh: the Father...
Know Him As Lord
Why do we have a Synod? Given the current condition of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, I have been asking this question repeatedly during the past months. Like many of you, I delight in the worship, preaching and teaching of my church, and in her outreach...
Implications for Denominational Ministries
Moderator’s August Synod Emphasis Denominational ministries have long been a part of the ARP Church – as in other Reformed denominations. Many do not give these ministries of Synod much thought – unless they are in- teracting with them or serving on one of the boards....